Modern consumer appliances, for example a consumer refrigerator/freezer, include many conveniences that both increase the user experience as well as the energy efficiency of such appliances. As one example, a modern refrigerator/freezer includes both ice and water “through the door,” often providing both cubed and crushed ice options. Such a feature greatly enhances the energy efficiency of the appliance since the consumer no longer needs to open the freezer door to obtain ice for a beverage, nor open the refrigerator door to retrieve chilled water for consumption. Instead, the consumer need only select the appropriate option on the front of the freezer door for which type of ice or water desired, put the glass into the receiving location, and wait for the selected item to be dispensed into the user's glass. If a user wants ice water, the user may select the ice, crushed or cubed, place the glass in the receiving location and allow the desired amount of ice to fill the glass. The user would then select the water option and fill the glass with the desired amount of water.
The user interface for such ice and water through the door features is typically one or a combination of electronic sensors, mechanically actuated switches, touch pads, slide switches, etc. For the mechanically operated user interfaces, typically a user would depress a mechanical switch or button to select a desired function, and then press the back of the glass against an additional mechanical switch or button to dispense the desired item, e.g. ice, and/or water. For appliances that include electronic controls, the user may simply touch a touch pad or touch screen to make the desired selection, and may then simply place the glass into the receiving location wherein its presence may be sensed by the electronic sensors to begin the dispensing operation of the selected item. Often, a combination of mechanical and electronic switches and/or sensors may be used depending on the particular model and features provided by the manufacturer. Typically, nearly all current models include an electronic controller that controls the operation of the refrigerator/freezer and the ice and water through the door operations based on sensed inputs, be they from electronic or mechanical interfaces.
While such modern features are highly desired by consumers because of the convenience and energy savings that they provide, the automated dispensing of ice and water outside of the refrigerator/freezer may cause problems upon the failure of one or more of the control components in the appliance. That is, if a failure were to occur such that water is dispensed, flooding of the kitchen or bar area where the refrigerator/freezer is located may occur. Such failures may be the result of a failed electronic sensor or mechanical switch that causes the electronic controller or mechanical control circuitry to believe that the user is requesting that water or ice be dispensed continuously. Other types of failures in the control programming or circuitry of the electronic controller may likewise cause a continuous dispensing of ice or water that may result in water damage if a user is unaware of the uncontrolled dispensing.
For automated operations, manufacturers typically include flow sensors to monitor an amount of fluid dispensed. For example, in filling ice cube trays for an automatic ice maker, the electronic control typically includes a timed or volumetric limitation on the amount of water dispensed into the ice molds. However, since the dispensing of water through the door is normally a user driven function, typical controllers for such appliances do not monitor the flow rate through such dispenser. As such, a failure in the control circuitry that makes the controller believe that the user is requesting that water be dispensed may well result in the continuous, uncontrolled dispensing of water when no user is present, resulting in water damage at least in the proximity of the refrigerator/freezer.
While an additional flow sensor and associated circuitry and control logic could be added to provide protection against such a flooding situation, the increased cost and complexity of such solutions, along with their associated reduction in overall system reliability, makes such solutions unacceptable, particularly in the highly cost competitive consumer appliance market.
In view of the above, there is a need in the art for a new and improved water flow detection and protection system for consumer appliances and the like that utilize multiple flow rates for different functions based on automatic and manual control to prevent or minimize collateral damage resulting from failures in the dispensing control system. Embodiments of the present invention provide such a system and method. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.